Prominent Tanzanian journalist killed in scuffle with police

New York, September 4, 2012--A Tanzanian TV journalist was killed on Sunday
during a confrontation with police over the arrest of another journalist, according
to several local journalists who witnessed the shooting.

The victim was identified as Daudi Mwangosi, a reporter with
the private station Channel Ten and chairman of the press club in the southern
city of Iringa, who was covering an opposition party gathering in Nyololo
village, local journalists told CPJ. Supporters of Chadema
(Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, or Party for Democracy and Progress) had gathered in defiance of a ban
on political demonstrations, which had been put in place during an ongoing
regional census, according to news
reports. Violence ensued when police beat the Chadema supporters and
fired tear gas at them, local journalists said.

Police attacked Mwangosi after he confronted them about the
assault and arrest of Godfrey Mushi, a reporter with Nipashe newspaper, three journalists told CPJ. Neville Meena,
secretary-general of the Tanzania Editors' Forum, told Reuters that police
fired a tear gas canister into Mwangosi's stomach at close range. One widely
circulated photo
appears to show an officer pointing a rifle at an individual being held down by
several officers. The scuffle was documented by several journalists, including Francis
Godwin and Gustav
Cheha.

Mushi told CPJ that police had beaten and detained him for
photographing the demonstration. No other journalist was attacked, and he was
released without charge two hours later, he said. Mushi also told CPJ he did
not know why the police had targeted him.

Police spokesman Advera Senso did not return repeated calls from
CPJ seeking comment. Reuters quoted police commissioner of
operations Paul Chagonja as saying that "police deny any deliberate involvement
in the death of the journalist." He said a joint military-police inquiry would
be conducted into Mwangosi's death.

"We condemn the killing
of Daudi Mwangosi, who witnesses say lost his life while defending a fellow
reporter at a news event," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita.
"Preliminary statements show police have pre-judged this case, but with the
abundance of photographic evidence and eyewitness testimony, we expect the
Tanzanian government to set aside such preconceptions, undertake an immediate,
independent investigation, and bring the perpetrators to justice."

Mwangosi,
who began his journalism career in 2005, was elected chairman of the Iringa
Press Club in 2011, according to local
journalists.
He is survived by a wife and four children.

Mwangosi's
death is the first work-related fatality documented by CPJ in Tanzania since
the organization began keeping detailed records in 1992.

For more data and
analysis on Tanzania, visit CPJ's Tanzania page here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This alert has been modified to reflect the correct
name of the Chadema party. "Chadema" is the acronym for Chama
cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo.